(Book). Bridging the Gap brings together the efforts of middle and high school teachers, parents, principals, music supervisors and yes, students themselves, that have had a profound effect on recruiting, and especially retention going from middle to high school. The key to successful retention is action . On the next pages are a number of strategies that successful instrumental music educators and their consituents use to ensure a seamless transition from the first day that the student picks up their instrument through high school graduation and beyond.